Dazed and Confused - Not Angry

by Deacon Blues

Suppose for the sake of argument that the right wing media has convinced the lazy mainstream media over the last year that the public was angry about health care reform, and that the Tea Party crowd represented a legitimate and large force of opposition to the law based on their educated understanding of what's in it.

Now suppose there isn't any widespread anger about HCR at all, but confusion as to what's in it.

Think those frustrated tea partiers you hear so much about in the media represent most Americans' views on the new health reform law? Think again.

The first Kaiser Health Tracking Poll released since health overhaul became law shows that most people are confused -- not angry. In the poll, 55 percent said they are "confused" about what the law does, and just 30 percent described themselves as "angry."

So what happens to the opposition when they finally learn what's actually in the law?

And as in previous polls, when people were told the specifics about what the bill does, they approved. Nine in 10 favored new tax credits for small business. Eight out of 10 said they favored provisions to provide free basic preventive care, financial aid to seniors with high drug bills, and ending insurance companies' practice of dropping people with pre-existing medical problems. All of these provisions kick in this year.

But the GOP can count on its uneducated base to stay with them in opposition to the law as they campaign on repealing it this fall, right?

And this might give the GOP some pause going into the mid-term elections: The poll shows two-thirds of people who identified themselves as Republicans liked those items.

Oops.